I set out to make the camera system as inexpensive as possible, and I really thing making it Raspberry Pi based is the way to accomplish that. This same setup could be used for a motion sensitive IP security cam, a Sky Cam for weather conditions, a motion sensitive Bird Cam, or as I plan to do, a simple camera for taking photos of my fish pond.
The hardware I’m using:
Raspberry Pi Zero – $5.00
Pi Zero camera cable – $5.95
Camera Board – about $9.50
Wifi Adapter – $11.95
micro to USB OTG adapter – $2.95
8GB MicroSD card – $9.95
micro USB power adapter – $7.95
And to get the initial setup done, you’ll need:
MicroHDMI to HDMI adaptor – $2.95
plus some sort of monitor, keyboard, mouse, temporarily.
It’s possible to find a “Starter Kit” which will have a lot of these items pre-bundled.
For Version 2 of this project I’ll also need:
2 x 20 header – $0.95
Enviro pHat – $19.95
Of course, I still have to figure out how to mount the board looking at the fish pond. I’m all set now for looking out a window, but not for looking down at a fish pond.
Note: Since I initially wrote this, there is now a Raspberry Pi Zero W that includes onboard WiFi, eliminating the need for a seperate USB WiFi adapter.